[b]Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School[/b]

Just as Kotori began hoping that perhaps Katsuro might take her up on the idea that Rui would know better how to teach him how to learn, yet another familiar voice spoke up, calling her by name. [color=green]"Eh?"[/color] was Kotori's immediate response, and not for the first time today. Having been rather more focused on the school floor - which, she incidentally discovered, actually had a regularly repeating, if subtle, pattern to it - Kotori hadn't noticed Ryan approaching and was somewhat taken aback at both his unexpected appearance and question; mostly missing the slight uncertainty in his voice due to her own. [color=green]"Huh? M-me? Ah, uhm... I-I'm fine, A-Alon-san..."[/color] she quietly said in response to Ryan's questions - even if neither her awkward tone of voice didn't exactly lend that statement very much credence.

Still, she was quite thankful for the fact that with more people around, there'd be focus on her - however, this seemed to have quite the opposite effect on Katsuro whose confidence from just a few moments ago vanished into nothingness as he stumbled over his words. He seemed rather distracted as he half-heartedly agreed with Ryan - only to apologise for his previous curiosity. [color=green]"Ah, n-no, no, it's not, uhm, a bother...[/color] Kotori quickly said, shaking her head for emphasis - and feeling her guilty conscience creep back up for having seemingly caused his now apparent discomfort by denying his request so harshly. Concern coloured her features when he momentarily winced as he absent-mindedly drew his fingers over the side of his face covered by his hair - but even as he recovered immediately, Kotori did feel a measure of sympathy for the scarred boy who didn't have the luxury of being able to easily hide his scars.

[color=green]"Eh?"[/color] Another apology caught Kotori by surprise - enough to not even notice Katsuro getting her name not quite right - though she quickly recovered and shook her head. [color=green]"Ah, no, i-it's fine,"[/color] she said, even if one would have to be both blind and deaf to not notice that that statement was a bit of a stretch. As he then proceeded to ask some questions - such as where they, if they were friends, happened to go after school. Kotori, however, was rather more busy staring at the ground, a red tinge undeniable on her face - though it was embarrassing to admit, even to herself in her own thoughts, being thought of as friends did have a nice kind of sound to it for the rather hesitant girl.

Luckily though, her embarrassment passed quickly enough for no one to notice, she hoped, before Rui took to answering Katsuro's questions - and in turn reminding her that, besides coming to school to check her results, she did not have any plans yet. When Rui then mentioned the Yoshida book café, Kotori's curiosity was quickly piqued - she'd walked past it a several times already, but never actually gone inside; never quite feeling comfortable with going there alone - after all, a café sounded like a rather trendy place which she had no illusions of being a word anyone would use to describe her. She still remembered her last visit to one when Leiko had practically dragged her to the her friend, Saya's, family business and how she'd felt a little out of place.

Still, the fact that Yoshida's was also a library of sorts did have a certain undeniable appeal to the bookish Kotori. [color=green]"Ah, I heard that too,"[/color] she quickly agreed when Rui mentioned their selection of books - only to fumble over her words when she realised that she might have interjected someone else. [color=green]"Uhm, th-that sounds n-nice. I-I mean... i-if a-anyone else wants to... uhm..."[/color] her voice grew quieter before finally trailing off while her hands were once more preoccupied with her skirt - though Rui had put it forth as a suggestion, it might sound a little presumptuous of her to think that anyone else might be interested in going; leaving Kotori to hope that she didn't step on anyone's toes - and to adjust her glasses that were starting to slip downwards from how much she was averting her eyes throughout the whole conversation in her embarrassment..